this post was submitted on 30 Jan 2024
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For your simple[r] tax needs: https://directfile.irs.gov

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[–] laverabe@lemmy.world 43 points 10 months ago (5 children)

I'm 100% for a simple IRS tax return but what the heck is with this?

To use Direct File, you need an IRS account with ID.me.

To get an ID.me account, you need to:

Take a video of your face

If you can't or don't want to take a video of your face, you can have a video call with an ID.me agent who will confirm that your face matches your identification.

Is that really necessary???

[–] KevonLooney@lemm.ee 23 points 10 months ago (3 children)

It's the same as going to a bank and letting the teller look at your face. It's to prevent someone from stealing your identity using a picture of your ID.

How can they verify the ID is real without physically seeing it? They look up the info but still need to verify that you are the person on the ID.

[–] EssentialCoffee@midwest.social 33 points 10 months ago (1 children)

How have they been verifying mailed in tax forms with no pictures for decades?

Seems like it unnecessarily disenfranchises the poor and the elderly. You have to have access to equipment that can record you and the tech savvy to be able to use it.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 0 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

How have they been verifying mailed in tax forms with no pictures for decades?

They haven't. Of course, the IRS deals with upwards 1 million potentially fraudulent claims per year. So, at some level, they're trying to avoid exacerbating the problem.

[–] Socsa@sh.itjust.works 18 points 10 months ago

Ok but how come H&R Block doesn't need to do this? I just give them my IRS PIN and the AGI from last year's return. The picture shit feels like a poison pill

[–] laverabe@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

They can do that with a drivers license like they have for the last few decades.

And they're using a face recognition service from a for profit corporation ID.ME. Not ok. I'll continue to use their freefillable forms option, but if they discontinued that I'll just go back to paper mailing. This is not a step forward.

https://cyberscoop.com/irs-facial-recognition-identity-privacy/

[–] Gestrid@lemmy.ca 5 points 10 months ago

I'm pretty sure you're required to provide your driver's license info at some point during the sign-up process, actually. Though it's been a while, so I don't remember for sure.

If it's like I remember, it's to confirm that the person on the ID matches the person who's signing up. Banks do the same when the teller asks for your ID. And so do the people who ask for your ID when you go to vote. It's the same basic process. It's just digital instead of in-person.

[–] Reddfugee42@lemmy.world 11 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (2 children)

Stupid fraud prevention ugh!

Listen folks, if you have a driver license, they already have your face, so settle down.

[–] laverabe@lemmy.world 18 points 10 months ago

countries with no national ID cards and no plans for one: Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK. 1

And they do taxes just fine without a Harry Potter like gif of every tax payer.

Privacy reasons aside, TurboTax doesn't require a video clip to file your taxes so this is only raising the technical barrier against the widespread adoption of a simple tax system.

[–] Sl00k@programming.dev 10 points 10 months ago

I don't mind this being done through the government site, but it shouldn't be done by a third party business.

[–] UNWILLING_PARTICIPANT@sh.itjust.works -3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You'd think a social insurance number would be enough...

[–] fruitycoder@sh.itjust.works 7 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Social Security number WAS NOT made to be an ID. It's not a secure unique number, it's just serial.

Oh I didn't know that. It kinda works like that in my country